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While there's no perfect solution to avoiding \"thankless\" tasks that are not within your job description, experts say that there are ways for you to avoid taking on this extra work.

If you're prone to volunteer for non-promotable assignments, Vesterlund told the Women at Work podcast to sit tight and mimic the body language of others who often do not volunteer.

\"Mimic the body language that they have, you know, as they start checking their phones or putting things away, pulling back from the table,\" she told the podcast. \"Just mimic that behavior, so you don’t get in a position where you suddenly feel so stressed by the silence that you’re one who says 'yes.'\"

The truth is if you say no to your manager, there could be repercussions you'd face, so instead Vesterlund suggested meeting with your manager one-on-one to discuss the work you're currently being assigned versus projects you would like take on. Raise your hand for those.

\"If you’re in a public meeting, saying no in front of a bunch of people, I don’t think is very advisable,\" she told the Women at Work podcast, \"But going up to the manager afterwards and saying, you know, these are the projects I’ve been assigned with recently. They’re all the same character. If I’m taking this on, can I not take on the next one?\"

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